No reliable evidence deworming meds can treat coronavirus, ICU expert says

There is no real evidence that the anti-parasite medication Ivermectin is an effective remedy against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, Outbreak Management Team (OMT) member and ICU doctor Diederik Gommers emphasized in the BNR radio. Gommers runs the intensive care department Erasmus University Medical Center, and is the chair of intensive care association NVIC.

“Until now studies have not proven a positive effect. Thus, we don’t use them”, Gommers said. A few smaller studies have claimed that Ivermectin had a positive effect against the coronavirus, but no major study provided such evidence to support use of the drug.

The medicine is usually used to deworm horses, cows, and other animals. In rarer cases it has also been used in lower doses by humans who have parasitic worms or lice. The United States has seen a rapid rise in people attempting to use Ivermectin without a prescription in hopes of fighting a coronavirus infection, often with disastrous consequences. The country's National Poison Data System said that in August there were 459 reported cases of an overdose of the medication.

An overdose can cause diarrhea, vomiting, low blood pressure, dizziness, seizures, coma, and death. It can also interact with other medications to cause other health issues. "You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, y'all. Stop it," the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said.

There were occasions in which patients demanded their doctor prescribe them the anti-parasite medication. That is unacceptable, according to Gommers. “You can’t force a doctor to do something for which there is not sufficient medical proof that it works.”

A study that supporter Ivermectin was withdrawn due to ethical concerns, the Guardian reported in mid-July. There were factual errors in the paper and parts of the study seemed to be plagiarized.

“The data was also terribly formatted, and included one patient who left hospital on the non-existent date 31/06/2020”, said a London medical student.